The Neurode Crusade

[SWORD BROTHER RYAN]

Well, I guess you have to have a witch to train the neophytes to destroy...

 

 

[Brother Christopher]

Some less-heretical updates:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plus a set of magnetised weapons:

 

So, I technically managed to paint them before GW deletes them in 11th Edition. It remains to be seen whether I'll manage to field them in a game, though.

 

Regardless, I got these models the year they were released (still seems like it wasn't that long ago). They're way better in person and I had some fun working on them. Having said that, I'm glad that they're done - they have a lot of details and it took me 2-3 painting sessions more than I anticipated. Also, I must note that these were 'rushed,' i.e. I feel that there's way more that I could do and probably should customise them more but it is what it is.

 

I'm really focused on getting my army done this year.

[Marshal Reinhard]

Checkers are life, checkers are love.

[Brother Christopher]

Two more Crusaders join the ranks of my rubbish marines:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This brings me to a total of 16 models painted this year. By my standards, this is exceptional progress. Unfortunately, this still means that I have 40 infantry and bikes to do.

 

Sometimes I think this is an utterly wasted effort, especially given how GW changes rules and how they made all the models bigger.

 

Regardless, the Crusade is Eternal. Or at least shall last until I paint all of the squat-Templars I bought. So help me Emperor!

 

Next up: HQ bikers.

[Brother Christopher]

Admittedly, I let myself get a bit sidetracked this month by my Primaris conversion Project; I've been developing a paint scheme, as well as trying out some de-Primaris-ification works. However, this doesn't mean that I've abandoned my Oldmarines in Black.

 

I've been working on some bikers who are mostly done. This brings me to a total of 19 painted models this year out of the remaining 56 non-vehicle models for my Templars. I think the result would've been much better were it not for the Centurions (and the Primaris experiments, too); magnetising and painting all of those weapons was quite time-consuming. I think I'm also quite optimistic about actually finishing most of my Templar stuff this year. This also means that  - by my standards - I have a great pace of progress.

 

Speaking of standards, I thought I could share with you my banner for my biker ancient:

 

 

The design was influenced by an actual Polish cavalry banner:

[Brother Christopher]

Here are the finished bikers:

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SWORD BROTHER RYAN]

Love it! the banner biker turned out really well.

[Brother Christopher]

Thank you, Brother! Your feedback is a great source of motivation to push through with this project. It's taking a toll on me, mentally.

 

The other thing that keeps me moving is wanting to see them properly finished. These aren't models that look great individually (due to me taking conscious creative decisions to keep a uniform tabletop standard across the board) but I'm really hoping that they'll look great in squads and as an army showcase!

[Brother Christopher]

Here's my old metal Apothecary. The other medics in my army wear black armour with only white accents; however, for this guy, I decided to try my hand at painting white armour.

 

 

 

After posting the photos I realised that I missed a couple of spots so I'll have to redo some bits. That's slightly annoying but nothing major.

[Brother Carpenter]

Looking nice, maybe a bit on the thick side with the paint, or is that the structre of the metal?

But I'm having that issue as well when trying to paint something white.

 

The face came out really nice, you have better brush controll tha I do when painting eyes, because mine always end up on cheeks or noses 

[Brother Christopher]

Thanks for the comment and your keen eye! This time, I think I've managed to keep the thickness of the paint in control. The thickness of chalkiness is, like you suggested, caused by the texture of the metal. The model was in quite a poor condition when I got him and the metal was quite porous. On top of that, there was a lot of ancient glue that I failed to remove completely. However, I'm happy with how he turned out. It is what it is and another ancient mini joins the ranks of my Crusade.

 

While he's not the best looking apothecary, I always feel good after 'rescuing' these little, ugly metal dudes. Having said that, I don't really enjoy painting them. Having worked on modern plastics, the quality of the details leaves much to be desired and is a pain to paint (sometimes it's difficult to make out what is what).

[Brother Carpenter]

Yes, the metal surface was always a thing, with those models.

Also the warpage around tiny details, that I always seem to get wrong when painting 

 

But they were great sculpts in their own right at he time.

The overall model looks very good.

 

Good luck with the crusade!

[Brother Christopher]

On 6/20/2024 at 9:30 AM, Brother Carpenter said:

Yes, the metal surface was always a thing, with those models.

Also the warpage around tiny details, that I always seem to get wrong when painting 

 

I feel the pain! I have a soft spot for metal models but, to be honest, I'm glad that I'm almost done with painting them. As you mentioned, the details - while nice - appear to be all over the place. Plus, there's the matter of processing pewter models which are more difficult to paint and way easier to damage.

 

But they have their charm. It also felt meaningful to have these guys as named character and leaders. It added weight to your force.

 

More retro stuff:
 

Firstly, I think, the oldest model in my collection, a random flamer marine from a bygone era:

 

 

And a custom count-as bladeguard veteran, based on a kitbash using metal vet parts, as well as some green stuff (the cloth on the shoulder pad) and a DIY plasticard shield on the backpack. I painted this model long ago but he needed an upgrade. I decided not to strip him completely and settle with an attempt to 'improve' the original paintjob (for silly reasons — call it nostalgia — I decided not to remove paint from my old models, especially those that did well in games) - so I touched up the tabard, tried to refine the lines and replaced a bolt pistol that was utterly ruined with glue with a metal plasma pistol (I think, from a Sicarius model).

 

 

I think I'll need to revisit the lines on the helmet; seeing them in the photo, I'm not particularly pleased with the result.

 

 

The shield, however, turned out surprisingly dope!

 

 

Some old freehand - a homage to Geralt of Rivia.

 

[bloodhound23]

Big fan of the pose on Geralt.